Is the 03-04 Cobra the Beast it was 7-10+ Years Ago?

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SVTCobra60

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Does it still have the same reputation/appreciation? Is it still the performance beast it once was?

I feel like when I first started getting interested in cobras, 7-10 years ago, it was looked at as a phenomenal deal when it comes to price to performance. You could make great power, the stock engine/trans was very strong compared to most other cars, and it had looks/sound!

Does this hold true anyone? The new 5.0 mustangs seem to respond phenomenally to mods, C6 corvettes including C6z's are now not far away from 03-04 cobra pricing. CTSv's are also quite impressive now. European cars seem to be competing in this price range as well. Turbo BMW's and Audis have great potential and aren't terribly expensive. Or event the GT500's, not much more money but a larger supercharged engine in a more advanced car.

What is everyone's opinion? Has it become more of a cult car that will always be loved for what it once was, or can it still compete with the competition?
 

MG0h3

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The max power on a stock engine you can put down isn’t as impressive due to all of the newer high horsepower cars. That being said, I still think it’s a unique car due to the story behind it.

Still carries a lot of notoriety if that means anything.

I’ve considered looking at some newer cars but I already don’t expect them to be as fun to drive so I just haven’t made the time.

As far as competing, ya it’s pretty competitive when you get it up into the 700+ range. It’s lighter than a lot of new cars.


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apex svt

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There’s a lot of really fast cars coming out of the factory anymore and I sometimes wonder the exact question you’re asking. But most of the real street cars I run into still struggle to hang with my stockish cobra, (11.3’s) and with a small shot mid 10’s.
Yeah you could say modded vs stock in some cases but my mod list is basic and its a 15 year old car now. To me the cobra is lethal and always will be.
 

SVTCobra60

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The max power on a stock engine you can put down isn’t as impressive due to all of the newer high horsepower cars. That being said, I still think it’s a unique car due to the story behind it.

Still carries a lot of notoriety if that means anything.

I’ve considered looking at some newer cars but I already don’t expect them to be as fun to drive so I just haven’t made the time.

As far as competing, ya it’s pretty competitive when you get it up into the 700+ range. It’s lighter than a lot of new cars.


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Yeah that seems to be the case. The power on stock engine seems to be becoming less impressive as time goes on. Also, it was always known as a car that responded incredibly well to mods, but I don't think it's as alone anymore.

Yeah it's decently light, other than the C6's which are most likely the biggest competition right now.

There’s a lot of really fast cars coming out of the factory anymore and I sometimes wonder the exact question you’re asking. But most of the real street cars I run into still struggle to hang with my stockish cobra, (11.3’s) and with a small shot mid 10’s.
Yeah you could say modded vs stock in some cases but my mod list is basic and its a 15 year old car now. To me the cobra is lethal and always will be.

Yeah I wasn't talking about stock, purely stock it's not particularly impressive anymore, I'm talking a modded cobra. To me, that is what made the cobra so well known.

Troll question, or troll question..

Why would this be a troll? Pretty legit question.
 

SVTdreamin04

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They're easy to work on. They're still fast and they still hold their own against new cars out today. The Cobra isn't your Uncle'e old Nova with the double pumper carburator and cherry bomb exhaust that would go 4 telephone poles in X time.

It's still a bad boy.


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SVTCobra60

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They're easy to work on. They're still fast and they still hold their own against new cars out today. The Cobra isn't your Uncle'e old Nova with the double pumper carburator and cherry bomb exhaust that would go 4 telephone poles in X time.

It's still a bad boy.


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Well said. Lol
 

RedVenom48

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Terminator is a Gen 3 TVS or Gen 3 Whipple away from hanging with most cars out there.

Its timelessness is a credit to not only what it represented when it came out, but the fact its still competitive against modern offerings. I think most 03+ SVT offerings fall into this category.

The Coyote has really proven itself as the new Ford mans performance platform. They are great starting points for power!

But any SVT Mustang will ALWAYS be an SVT Mustang no matter what. Yes, Im very biased.
 
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CV355

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If they weren't still held in high regard then they wouldn't command the money they do to get into one.

That's totally true. In 2009 I came close to buying an '04 for $15k. It had less than 50k miles, bone stock. Stupid me, I spent the money on an engine build for my '00GT instead of getting the Cobra. Good luck finding one for $15k nowadays.
 

IronSnake

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This same question can be asked of any 60's era muscle car on up.

The fox was once considered "Fast". That died off in the early 2000's with the advent of the 4v, then the terminator, and then even 3v cars. So people swapped them, junked them, ruined them. Then people turned around, wished for days gone by, and now pay out the nose for a foxbody.

Terminators had their moment where they were cheap. I remember seeing a lot of them get gutted into street/strip cars and shaking my head. You could get an IRS, seats, interior bits, tanks.. all of that relatively easily. It's only going to get more difficult to find these cars as part outs continue to happen, people drive them, and people wreck them.

As far as competitive... a terminator is a triple crown horse still competing 10 years after it's heyday. The performance is there, but it's tired. It's relevant, but no longer king. Everyone knows it's place, but everyone knows it's been surpassed.

Terminators earned their place in automotive folklore, but they aren't the speed demons they once were.
 

GodStang

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A lot depends where you live. It really revamped the HP wars again. It will have a spot in car history forever. The problem is it has many downfalls that were improved on over the years.

In the grand scheme of things even a highly modded E85 Terminator with a Twin Screw is not that fast these days when you can find 10+ 1000rwhp cars in almost any small town USA. Most of the highend model sports cars coming off the line are starting where the terminator maxes out at and they are just beginning modding.
 

big reg

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That's totally true. In 2009 I came close to buying an '04 for $15k. It had less than 50k miles, bone stock. Stupid me, I spent the money on an engine build for my '00GT instead of getting the Cobra. Good luck finding one for $15k nowadays.
I picked up a 19k mile, spotless 10th anniversary car for 18k in 08. You’d be adding atleast 10k to that number today.
 

Tifosi2003GT

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All I can tell you is just getting gas with my cobra is usually fun time.. People see the crazy rear end with 315 R888's and just know its a special car. Being 15yrs old I would line up against anything and give it a go and feel very confident.
 

HudsonFalcon

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If they weren't still held in high regard then they wouldn't command the money they do to get into one.

This. Only need to look at what they command in the marketplace to know they're still desirable.

Are they the fastest thing on the street today? Nope, but they're a big contributor of where we are today.
 
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